For an unorganized effort, I must say that I was impressed by the number of teachers that were dawned in black for the back to school teacher rally on Friday, August 22nd to demonstrate their displeasure of the Rhee/Parker tentative agreement that attempts to take away long earned job protections. I couldn't help but noticing that Chancellor Rhee was also dressed in black. Could it be that she too got a copy of the email to wear black on Friday ? Perhaps. :)
Many teacher and service provider colleagues expressed dissappointment in Friday's events. A little too much grandstanding for my taste. I think that the time could have been put to better use. From my vantage point in the back , I believe that the No's had it in a showing of teachers hands against the contract proposal. Here is an excerpt from Bill Turque's DC Wire blog on teachers back to school rally :
"This morning's "Welcome Back" rally at the Washington Convention Center for 5,000 returning D.C teachers started with cheers, cash prizes .... But warm-and-fuzzy quickly gave way to bread-and-butter as Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee and union president George Parker turned the subject to the proposed pay package that has roiled the city's teacher corps.
Parker ... is wrestling with whether to bring it to a membership vote, even if it contains provisions -- such as the one-year probationary period -- that he finds noxious. "What this boils down to is...What kind of contract do we bring to you to ratify?" Parker said, before asking for a show of hands -- for and against. The results? Kind of depends on who you ask.
Parker said sentiment appeared to run about 2-to-1 against a vote, roughly mirroring the results of a recent poll commissioned by the American Federation of Teachers. From other vantage points, the margin looked a little closer. Parker said he would call a membership meeting for next week before he makes a final decision." No matter your vantage point, stay tuned for more on the saga of the Rhee/Parker tentative agreement and Parker's promise to hold a WTU membership meeting next week. Posted by Candi.
7 comments:
I LOOKED SO GOOD IN MY RED IN GREEN!!!! I PLAN TO WEAR IT TOMORROW TOO... BLACK IS FATTERING, BUT WHY DO WE USE IT TO OPPOSE SOMETHING? BLACK IS SUPPOSED TO BE BEAUTIFUL!!!
YOUR POINTS ARE SO INVALID AND OPINIONATED THAT ITS SCARY THAT YOU CLAIM TO REPRESENT ME...I BEG TO DIFFER!!!
eeeew. Red and Green are christmas colors. You must have looked like a X-Mas tree. Kudos to Candi!!!!
@3:02. She doesn't represent you
I was there, and I voted to have the union put it to a vote. I feel those voting "no" are reacting out of fear -- after all, what harm can a vote do? I have a voice, and I don't appreciate others -- some of whom are part of the problem -- trying to silence it because they're afraid. Do they not trust me to weigh carefully whatever is presented to me? Do they not trust my critical ability to know when I'm being snowed? (As a high school teacher, I have daily experience in sniffing out b.s.) This new tiered contract comes with a LOT of unanswered questions, and we need to make Rhee start answering them. This will never happen if we settle for "the same ol' same ol'."
Uh oh ! Not sure that's legally allowed but neither is Rhee and the mayor re-writing our educational law books at the state capital of our state capital in the Ubited States of America !"Automatic termination for teacher's in green and eventual termination for teachers in red ? Appeal rights over discrimination or failing of the process ? How many would walk out if they didn't have families to feed and a house payment or rent in the city to pay ? Lou Dobbs hopefully will kick in and help you guys ! We hope so !Repeal ! Is all going to the Supreme Court? Send the contract to Clinton's office and Obama. Let's ask how they would handle all this ? Have a team of teacher's meet with Congress and call the speaker of the house Palosi !We need more teacher's directly connected to congress from the trenches in this country ! Especially in all this reform ! When was the last health and sanitation department in these schools ? One teacher said she went into the lounge and it smelled like dead rats and urine !Smokey Joe's on the river of Gordon !We've got more teacher's in the country riding into read all this and calling CNN !Hold the line DC teacher's and keep the faith !
Call edit on that one and revise on the contract !
WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL WITH TEACHERS NOT WANTING TO BE JUDGED ON JOB PERFORMANCE? EVERYONE ELSE IN THE WORKFORCE IS EVALUATED THIS WAY. HEAVEN FORBID THEY MAKE YOU WORK FOR YOUR PAYCHECK!!!! TAKE A PAY RAISE AND DO YOUR JOB WELL. OTHERWISE DON'T EVER COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR MEASLY TEACHER SALARY AGAIN.
I WORK IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND I'VE SEEN THOSE OF YOU WHO DO A HALF-ASS JOB. A PAY RAISE WOULD SURE AS HECK BUY YOU A BETTER WARDROBE. 90% OF YOU DRESS LIKE YOU ROLLED OUT OF BED AND GOT DRESSED IN THE DARK. YOU ARE COLLEGE EDUCATED PROFESSIONALS. AND YOU WONDER WHY NO ONE RESPECTS YOU AS PROFESSIONALS!!! GOOD LORD! JUST TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR CO-WORKERS - AND NEXT TIME YOU WALK INTO THE BANK TO CASH YOUR MEASLY CHECK, GET A LESSON IN FASHION FROM THE PROFESSIONALY-DRESSED HIGH-SCHOOL GRADUATE TELLER! BET SHE LOOKS 10 TIMES MORE PRESENTABLE THAN YOU IN YOUR BIRKINSTOCKS AND YOUR HIGH-WATER PANTS.
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